Once Upon a Dream
by KitKatt0430
Summary: After being whammied by a meta, Barry wakes up as a poor stable boy in a fairy tale world. Not that Barry has the first clue what's actually going on, since he's either dreaming or the only person who remembers that they don't normally live in a fantasy setting. Either way, completing the story should probably get him out of this weirdness... right?


Summary: After being whammied by a meta, Barry wakes up as a poor stable boy in a fairy tale world. Not that Barry has the first clue what's actually going on, since he's either dreaming or the only person who remembers that they don't normally live in a fantasy setting. Either way, completing the story should probably get him out of this weirdness... right?

Notes: Barry Allen Week 2 Prompt - Fairy Tale

_**Once Upon a Dream**_

The search for Eddie was not going well. Barry had the strangest feeling they were overlooking something really important, but he had no idea what. So he'd taken to circling the cities, trying to find the best places to hide someone in Central City and Keystone.

And, unfortunately, that was when he ran into the meta. Pretty brunette with birds gathered around her and a rose in her hand and, quite frankly, Barry wasn't even paying attention to the Disney Princess moment she was having. He was leaning against the warehouse he'd just zipped through - one of several he'd checked all over in the last few minutes - and taking a breather. Trying to think like Eobard Thawne and failing.

Probably for the best he couldn't think like the evil Thawne, though.

But then Fantasy Princess Meta came around the corner, saw him, and apparently decided he was there waiting for her. Barry had no idea why. The Flash had a reputation for handing over criminal metas to the cops and helping non-criminal metas learn to control their powers. Had evil Wells had his way, Barry might've had a more nefarious reputation what with the pipeline and all, but... didn't happen.

Maybe she'd used her animal friends to hold up a gas station? Barry doubted it.

Anyway, she panicked and threw the rose at him and that was the last thing Barry remembered before passing out. Because... enchanted rose. Probably. It'd fit the theme Barry had noticed since waking up.

Assuming, of course, that he was actually awake right now.

* * *

Barry groaned as he finished shoveling the last of the fresh hay into the stalls. There. Officially done.

And to think, a few hours ago, he'd been blissfully unaware of the sort of work stable hands did in fairy tale worlds. Because that was the life he'd woken up to after being smacked in the face with an enchanted rose.

(Part of him wondered if he was passed out in STAR Labs right now, Sleeping Beauty style. He really hoped no one was trying to wake him up with true love's kiss.)

Iris was here, as was Eddie. They were married and Barry apparently rented out their tiny guest room. (The two of them being married in what Barry could only guess was a dream fueled by his own subconscious hurt... but it was a healing ache more than anything and it largely reinforced his desire to bring the two of them back together for real.) A bad bump on the head the night before gave Barry an explanation for his disorientation and confusion before he was sent off to work at the castle stables where Barry apparently worked for Harrison Wells, mucking out stables.

Barry never, ever wanted to work with real horses if it was anything at all like what this dream had conjured up. It was official. Barry was not a horse person.

(God, he smelled like sweaty horses now and he just wanted to throw himself into the nearest convenient body of water he stumbled across.)

Barry had figured, at first, he'd wake up after a while. But when hours passed and still no waking from the dream, Barry came to his next conclusion. The dream was influenced by the meta who'd 'enchanted' him and he needed to finish the fairy tale to wake up. Which meant figuring out what kind of fairy tale he was in.

Thankfully, working at the castle stables turned out to be an absolute treasure trove of gossip. And also the fliers tacked up all around town. There was to be a ball every night for three nights, starting tonight. It was being thrown in the honor of the prince and princess, royal adopted siblings of the barren queen and king. (Barry was sure there was a tragic back story in there, but he hoped he didn't have to unlock that subplot in order to wake up.) There were some definitely Cinderella vibes going on and Barry needed to know what his wardrobe looked like. See if he had any footwear that almost-not-quite fit his feet.

But first, Barry needed to be clean. A few quick questions to his fellow stable hands and Barry finds himself making plans to go dunk himself in a nearby river. Which is when Wells arrives.

"There aren't enough grooms on duty tonight for the ball. So some of you are going to have to come back tonight." Wells announced. "You." He pointed at one unlucky stable hand after another.

Barry tried to hide himself in the little corner nook where, hopefully, Wells couldn't see him.

"The rest of you are off the hook. For tonight. There's two more nights of the ball and for some godforsaken reason the king and queen have made it open to rabble like you. So enjoy yourselves while you can."

Barry let out a relieved noise, gathered his few things, and then left to bathe.

* * *

Barry was about 90% certain Iris and Eddie were his fairy godmother equivalent. Because once he came back from cleaning up in the river, Iris pulled out clothes for him to wear to the ball. Apparently she and Eddie had gotten it for him as a surprise gift since Barry couldn't afford anything that nice. Iris was vague on the details, but Barry could read between the lines. In fairy tale world, no one wanted to hire the son of a murderer. Though Barry had no doubt Fairy Tale Henry Allen was just as innocent as Real World Henry Allen.

The outfit looks really nice on Barry. It's not period appropriate, more like something out of the BBC Merlin series, but its comfortable and fits well. Iris tell him he looks hot. Then Eddie comes home and tells Barry he's looking good too.

Barry considers, for a moment, that the fairy tale fantasy is actually supposed to be him hooking up with Iris and Eddie. He nixes the idea, if only because they seem very wrapped up in each other and Barry doesn't really feel like there's room in there for him. Though it isn't like he can't revisit the idea if romancing the prince or princess at the ball falls through.

It's just a dream, after all.

So Barry arrives at the ball with Iris and Eddie, oohs and aahs with them over how gorgeous the interior hallways are and how ridiculously immense the ballroom is. And then he promptly ditches them to let them dance and enjoy themselves together.

Barry heads over to the banquet tables to grab some nibbles. He's starving - the stable hand gig really just does not pay well for his dream-self's normal human metabolism food requirements - and he's not the only person using the royal's generosity tonight to make up for lacking meals.

But he can't afford to linger at the buffet for too long. He had a quest, after all.

The Prince and Princess of Central Kingdom are Cisco and Caitlin. Barry has to take a moment to himself out on a balcony to ask his subconscious just what the hell it thinks its playing at. Obviously, Barry's subconscious does not answer back.

He goes back inside and quickly realizes that Princess Caitlin is being courted by the handsome Ronnie Raymond. Which leaves Cisco awkwardly flirting with someone who looks very much like Lisa Snart. So Barry hurries over and grabs Lisa's hand right as she's mid snatching something from Prince Cisco's pocket.

"Unhand me," she demanded.

"Sure," Barry responded glibly. "As soon as you unhand whatever you were trying to steal from the prince."

Cisco calls for guards and Barry has a brief moment of fear that he's about to get arrested. But the guards take Lisa away - returning a small box to Cisco in the process - and Barry's left standing with no idea what happens next.

"Thank you so much for that. I don't know what I'd have done if she'd gotten away with this." Cisco tucked it back in his pocket.

Barry wondered what it was, but... not really his business, was it? "You're welcome, your highness..."

"Please, call me Cisco."

"Cisco," Barry echoed, blushing a little. His best friend was hot on a good day. But dressed up to the nines - still eclectic and eccentric looking, wouldn't be Cisco if he weren't - and Cisco was... Barry was certain his subconscious was trying to kill him. "I'm happy to have helped."

"I should do something nice for you in return. That's how it usually goes, right?" Cisco looked a bit flustered himself.

"I'd ask for a dance, but I'm a terrible dancer," Barry blurted out. "It'd ruin your whole opinion of me, with how many times I'd step on your feet."

"I'm willing to risk it. Though maybe I should lead." Cisco held out his hands, grinning, and Barry couldn't resist.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you afterwards," Barry teased and then stepped forward to let Cisco lead him away.

Barry was very aware of Cisco's hand on his waist, the way Cisco's shoulder felt beneath Barry's own palm, the feeling of the way it felt to hold Cisco's other hand in his own... and Cisco was good at dancing. He led Barry around the dance floor almost gracefully - the almost being Barry's fault, as even with Cisco's great dancing Barry still stumbled a bit here and there and definitely stepped on his partners foot a few times. But every time Barry faltered, Cisco slowed them down, helped Barry get his confidence back to keep going.

If Barry's subconscious was trying to tell Barry something, he definitely had the message. When this was over and he woke up, he was asking real Cisco on a date.

They weren't quiet as they danced either. Cisco still knew science in this fantasy setting. Basic science, but still. Science. And Barry knew science very well too. So they talked nerdy to each other about silly experiments and accidental explosions and magnets.

They danced more than a few songs together, in fact. And when Cisco remembered that he probably ought to talk to some of his other guests, it was with regret that he stepped away from Barry.

"I'll see you here again tomorrow night, right?" Cisco asked.

"I... unless my boss demands I work tomorrow night, then yes. I'll be here," Barry promised. Then, dazedly, he stumbled back over to the banquet tables to snack some more.

There'd been times, sitting on the couch with Cisco while watching _The Wrath of Khan_ or _Star Wars_ that... Barry had wondered what might happen if he closed the distance between them. Planted a kiss on Cisco's cheek. Or his lips.

Idle thoughts that fled from him when Cisco would turn and offer him snacks or a drink. But that idle desire was burning through him now, no longer fleeting but intense.

If only he knew whether Cisco, the real Cisco, would be receptive to those desires.

* * *

Barry lucked out the next day and, once again, avoided being selected by Harrison Wells as an unlucky groom for the evening's ball. He doesn't have a different outfit for the night, though, so he makes due with the same red outfit from the night before (he's increasingly certain his subconscious based the outfit on one of Arthur's in the show Merlin) and returns to the ball. And then he hides behind Iris and Eddie for a few minutes to avoid with dealing with his asshole boss.

Is Eobard Thawne more evil in his real life? Yes. Is he a worse boss in Barry's dream where he isn't evil than in real life where he is? Also yes.

Where's all that paternal kindness that real life evil Wells always showed Barry? Though... somebody had to fill the evil stepmother role. Probably.

Anyway, its as he's hiding behind Iris and Eddie that Cisco finds him.

Barry gets to introduce his friends to royalty and its hilarious how flustered they both get before Cisco steals Barry away for a dance. They spend nearly the whole evening together, dancing and talking and eating and its wonderful enough that Barry wishes the night could go on forever. There's a moment where Barry's certain Cisco is going to kiss him.

He doesn't, but Barry's got butterflies that keep him awake all night afterwards anyway.

* * *

Third night is not so lucky for Barry. Sleep deprived as he feels, he does not adequately hide from Wells and winds up selected for working over time. With no extra pay either, which sucks.

(Barry is so tired that he doesn't realize he's bitching to himself about unfair pay for a job that isn't real inside of a dream until after he's been muttering about it for nearly half-an-hour.)

It's as he's put away the last of the guest horses in the normally empty stalls that Barry lets himself start to worry that he's not going to wake up from this. He's comatose again - possibly for days depending on how fast he's processing time in his dream compared to real world time - and what'll that do to his friends and family?

And now he doesn't get to finish the ball. Cisco will probably fall in love with someone else and Barry... Barry was never going to have the chance to tell the real Cisco Ramon how he felt.

Barry kind of wants to cry. He failed to find Eddie for Iris. He's stuck in a coma. And the guy he likes will never know.

"Hey, there you are."

Breath caught in his throat, Barry looked up to see Cisco standing there.

"Uh, your highness..." he blushed when Cisco frowned. "Cisco. It's good to see you, but... shouldn't you be at the ball?"

"I'd rather be where you are," Cisco replied, ducking his head in embarrassment. "I, um... I brought you food."

"You're absolutely wonderful," Barry gushed, escorting Cisco to a nearby bench where they could sit together and snack on whatever it was Cisco had on that plate.

Cisco giggled. "You just love me for my food." And then he froze up.

Impulsively, Barry set the plate aside. "I love you because your kind. Because you sought me out to spend time with me. You found out where I work from Iris and Eddie, didn't you?"

"You... love me?"

"Falling pretty hard, anyway," Barry told him. "You're brilliant and funny and compassionate. You, Cisco Ramon, are amazing. And out of my league entirely... but if you'd let me, I'd like very much to kiss you."

"Y-yes. I'd like that." Cisco leans in and Barry closes the distance between them.

The kiss is absolutely wonderful.

* * *

Barry wakes up on the ground, uncomfortable, with both Caitlin and Cisco's voices in his ears steadily freaking out.

"I'm okay," Barry tells them, sitting up gingerly. The meta that chucked the rose at him and her animal friends are nowhere to be seen. "I'm okay," he repeats, warmed by their concern and wishing that it hand't taken getting temporarily enchanted to figure out what his feelings for Cisco were. Honestly, why was he so bad at emotions? The obvious had to have been staring him in the face for... some... time...

Oh. "I think I know where Wells is hiding Eddie." Right under their noses.

So, plan of attack for the moment was, save Eddie, stuff Wells in a pipeline cell until they could figure out what to do with him, and then ask Cisco on a date. This could totally work out... right?

Right.

(Barry gets his date.)


End file.
